[05/25/06 - 12:00 AM]CBS Wins the 2005-2006 Season in Viewers and Adults 25-54

[via press release from CBS]

CBS WINS THE 2005-2006 SEASON IN VIEWERS AND ADULTS 25-54

CBS Extends Its Winning Streak to Four Years in Viewers and Three Years in Adults 25-54 with a Lineup Featuring More Time Period Winning Programs and More Top 20 Hits Than Any Other Network

CBS Places Second in Adults 18-49 with Regularly Scheduled Programming

CBS Claims a Leadership Position in Nearly Every Program Genre Including the Number One Drama ("CSI"), Number One Comedy ("Two and a Half Men"), Number One Freshman Drama ("The Unit"), Number One New Comedy
("The New Adventures of Old Christine"), Number One News Magazine
("60 Minutes") and the Premiere Reality Series ("Survivor," "The Amazing Race")

Strength of Schedule Leads CBS to First or Second On Every Night of the Week

CBS Has the Season's Top Freshman Class With Six Series Returning Next Season, Twice As Many As NBC and ABC Combined

CBS Wins Its Fourth Consecutive May Sweep in Viewers and Places Second
in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

CBS won the 2005-2006 season in viewers for the fourth consecutive year and in adults 25-54 for the third straight season paced by a line-up with more time period winning programs and more top 20 hits than any other network. CBS also won its fourth consecutive May sweep in viewers (five of the past six) and placed a solid second in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

With schedule strength across every night of the week, CBS ended the season with a leadership position in nearly every program genre: the number one drama (CSI), number one comedy (TWO AND A HALF MEN), the number one freshman drama (THE UNIT), the number one new comedy (THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE), number one news magazine (60 MINUTES) and two of the premiere reality series (SURVIVOR, THE AMAZING RACE).

The Network has 12 time period winning programs in viewers (as many as the other networks combined), nine time period winning programs in adults 25-54 (more than any other network) and seven time period winning programs in adults 18-49 (more than any other network).

CBS also boasts the season's top freshman class with six series returning next year (GHOST WHISPERER, CLOSE TO HOME, CRIMINAL MINDS, THE UNIT, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE) -- more than NBC and ABC combined. Overall, the Network will return 18 series next season.

CBS has four of the Top 10 programs in viewers and adults 25-54 (more than any other network in both measures) and three of the Top 10 in adults 18-49.

CBS is Number One in viewers on four nights (Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday), more than all the other networks combined, and second on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.

In addition to extending its lead over NBC on Thursday, increasing its advantage with regularly scheduled programming in viewers from 8.2 million to 10.7 million and in adults 18-49 from 1.3 rating points to 2.4, CBS also made a dramatic turnaround on Friday as the additions of freshman dramas GHOST WHISPERER and CLOSE TO HOME along with sophomore hit NUMB3RS catapulted the Network into a leadership position in viewers and key demographics.